Numerous insects are recognized as harmful to human health and responsible for causing economic damage. Control of these insects is thus necessary. To control insects liquid poison is often used. The spraying of such poisons has numerous risks including possible poisoning of humans. In addition, sprayed liquid poison often degrades in the environment or is washed away reducing the effectiveness of the poison and requiring greater amounts of applications to reduce insect population. For these reasons it is often preferred to contain liquid poison in bait stations where the poison would be contained and the insect would have access to the poison.
Numerous bait stations have been described in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 1,964,611 to Watson describes a bait station with a circular trench enclosed within a bait housing the circular trench containing liquid poison. A lip on the trench provides some protection against spillage of the liquid poison. Holes within the housing allow insects to enter. U.S. Pat. No. 3,017,717 to Caubre describes a housing into which a bottle of liquid poison can be inserted. The bottle is inserted into the housing such that an open end of the bottle containing liquid poison faces a hole within the housing. The holes allow insects to enter and the insects may then enter the bottle of liquid poison. The housing is secured by screws to affix the housing into a set orientation such that the open liquid bottle of poison does not spill.
Numerous bait stations have used bases for containing liquid poison. U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,229 to Demarest et al. describes a bait station in which a porous material is inserted into a base. Attached onto the base and positioned over the porous material and in liquid contact with the porous material is a reservoir which can be filled with liquid poison. A top is secured over the reservoir to prevent spillage of the liquid poison from the reservoir. A similar bait station is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,922 to Wefler. This patent describes an insect bait station which also has a base containing a porous material filled with a liquid poison. A top cover is inserted over this base to enclose the liquid material. The top cover has a number of holes for insect entry. U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,743 to McSherry et al. describes an insect trap in which a liquid poison is contained in a container sealed by a lid. One or more tubes extend through the walls of the container. The tubes are positioned such that they are below the lid of the container and above the bottom of the level of the liquid poison contained within the container. The one or more tubes allow insect entry. U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,193 to Jensen describes an insect bait station secured by a stake which is driven into the ground. The insect bait station has an internal reservoir. The insects gain access to the interior reservoir by means of passageways extending into the interior of this reservoir. This insect bait station has a removable top allowing the bait station to be refilled with liquid poison.
Bait stations containing liquid poison, while safer than aerial spraying, do present some hazards from possible spillage. If the liquid bait station is inverted or turned on its side, it is possible that the liquid poison would spill out. Humans or animals could then contact the spilled liquid poison presenting a health hazard. This is of special concern for children who could possibly come into contact with a bait station and invert or turn the bait station on its side without realizing the potential hazards.
PCT filing no. WO9825454 to Hyatt et al. describes a liquid poison bait station with spill resistant features. In this bait station an internal reservoir contains liquid poison. A somewhat porous material is adjacent to the liquid poison. The porous material allows some of the poison to wick through. Openings in the bait station's housing allow ants or other insects access to the porous material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,853 to Williams describes a sealable bait station. In this bait station, a reservoir is mounted on a plate. The plate is then driven into the ground. Perforations through the pipe allow insect access. The insects then travel up the pipe to access holes positioned near the top of the pipe. The reservoir is an annular container surrounding the pipe. A cap encloses the top of the reservoir. The cap is removably attached to the top of the pole allowing the top to be secured to the pole. The top can be removed to allow the reservoir to be refilled. U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,586 to Ballard et al. describes another refillable bait station with some safety features. In this insect bait station the exterior housing of the bait station encloses a peripherally offset reservoir containing poison liquid bait. The labyrinth of interior walls provides containment to prevent spilling. Holes at the top of the housing allow the bait station to be refilled with liquid bait. The labyrinth of interior walls limits the amount of liquid bait that can be used in the bait station without risk of spillage.
The object of the present invention is to disclose a spill-resistant liquid bait station for the control of insects. This liquid bait station should be simple to manufacture and adaptable to be refilled and reused. It should be of simple construction and made of inexpensive material.
It is a further object of the invention to provide multiple spill containment features while at the same time allowing maximal volume of liquid poison to be contained within the bait station to minimize the frequency that the bait station must be refilled.